ICC Reveal T20 WC Pitch Ratings, IND vs IRE & Semifinal Pitch Receive ‘Unsatisfactory’ Remark

The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the pitch ratings on August 20 (Tuesday) for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which was held across West Indies and the USA. The report, which evaluated all 52 completed matches, indicated that three pitches—two in the USA and one in West Indies—were rated as ‘unsatisfactory,’ while the majority were given ‘satisfactory’ or higher ratings. 

Two matches at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York, including India’s opening game against Ireland, received an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating from the ICC. The pitch used for the Sri Lanka vs South Africa match also received a negative review from the match referee. It’s worth noting that the playing conditions in New York strongly favoured the bowlers, making it exceptionally difficult for the batters to score runs.

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South Africa vs Afghanistan Semifinal Pitch Rated Unsatisfactory

The third and final pitch that ICC deemed as ‘unsatisfactory’ was the one used during a crucial semifinal between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. Rashid Khan’s team was bowled out for just 56 runs, losing by nine wickets, bringing their dream run in the tournament to a disappointing end.

The Tarouba pitch drew significant criticism from Afghanistan’s head coach, Jonathan Trott, who condemned the playing conditions. 

“That’s not the pitch that you want to have a match, a semi-final of a World Cup, on plain and simple. It should be a fair contest. I’m not saying it should be flat completely with no spin and no seam movement, but I’m saying you shouldn’t have batsmen worrying about going forward and the ball flying over their head,” Trott had said back then.

In total, 31 pitches were deemed ‘satisfactory’ by the match referees, while 18 surfaces received a ‘very good’ rating from the ICC.